A Study in Sarcasm

Meat Sacrificed to Idols

Those who are truly "smart" make
themselves known to the Almighty
not through knowledge about the Almighty
, but relationship with
the Almighty
. The loving relationship developed with the Almighty
necessarily extends to
other children of the Almighty
as well.

(1 Corinthians 8 NRSV) Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know
that "all of us possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up,
but love builds up. {2} Anyone who claims to know something does not
yet have the necessary knowledge; {3} but anyone who loves the Almighty
is
known by him.

A. "Knowledge Puffs Up" Used Out of Context

1. How the phrase is usually used - as referring to education. Fact is,
I've got eight years of higher education, but I can catch a moon pie no
better that someone with no education at all!

2. Vs. 2: Those who say they are smart are not smart enough to know the Almighty
through knowledge

3. Vs. 3: Those who are truly "smart" make themselves known
to the Almighty
not through knowledge about the Almighty
, but relationship with
the Almighty
. The loving relationship developed with the Almighty
necessarily extends to
other children of the Almighty
as well.

4. In other words, Paul sets the whole teaching up by implying that,
though a person might have much knowledge, she doesn't necessarily have
any wisdom to use it if she doesn't know the character of her the Almighty
.

{4} Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know
that "no idol in the world really exists," and that
"there is no Almighty
but one." {5} Indeed, even though there
may be so-called the Almighty
s in heaven or on earth--as in fact there are
many the Almighty
s and many lords-- {6} yet for us there is one the Almighty
, the
Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one
Lord, Yahshua
Messiah
, through whom are all things and through whom we
exist. {7} It is not everyone, however, who has thisknowledge.

B. Knowledge as Gnosis

1. Some Believer
s thought they had their doctrine all together. They
reasoned, if there was only one the Almighty
, and these idols were not the Almighty
s, then
the sacrifice of the meat to idols had really accounted for nothing, and
could be eaten in good conscience.

2. It's to this notion that Paul becomes sarcastic, calling them
"The Strong." In other words, they thought they were strong
because they believed the right things about the Almighty
- that the Almighty
is one
and thus there are no other powers but the Almighty
.

3. Paul contrasts these "strong" Believer
s with the
so-called "Weak" - those who felt that eating polluted meat was
sinful and against the will of the Almighty
. They believed this was true not
because of their doctrinal knowledge, but because of their close relationshipwith the Almighty
- that the Almighty
was jealous for them as he was jealous for the
Israelites, and he wouldn't stand for such divided loyalty &
affection.

Again, the "strong" believed they could eat polluted food
because of what they knew. The "weak" believed they could
not eat because of who theyknew.

Before we go on, let's consider the original question again.

C. Food Polluted Through Religion?

1. What About Meat Sacrificed to Idols? Listen to what Paul says about
it two chapters later:

(1 Cor 10:18-23 NRSV) Consider the people of Israel; are not
those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? {19} What do I
imply then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an
idol is anything? {20} No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they
sacrifice to demons and not to the Almighty
. I do not want you to be partners
with demons.

{21} You cannot drink the cup of Yahweh
and the cup of demons.
You cannot partake of the table of Yahweh
and the table of demons.
{22} Or are we provoking Yahweh
to jealousy? Are we stronger than
he?

How can a person partake in a pagan,
unrighteous practices like the
sacrifice to demons and then go to the table of Yahshua
for Devoted
Communion? Paul says that doing so may provoke Yahweh
to action against
you! And it's very wise to fear the One who can cast you soul and body
into Gey-Hinnom!

2. Consider now the Ancient Religious World - polygamous with a panoply
of idols. Such religions were called "Mysteries" (Rev. 17:5) or
"Mystical Societies."

a. The Mystery Religions were Secret Societies in which animals
were sacrificed in rituals to placate demons that the worshipers thought
to be the powerful gods (10:20).

b. Meat-eating, then, became a Tool of Evangelism for these cults.
Common folks ate mainly oat meal, barley bread, olives, wine, and a little
fish. An invitation to eat a sumptuous banquet in such a poor time was a
real treat. What "knowledgeable" person would turn down such an
opportunity, especially when meat was in such scarce supply?

(1) Chaeremon requests your company at dinner at the table of
lord Sarapis in the Sarapeum tomorrow, the 15th, at 9 o'clock.

(2) Apollonius requests you to dine at the table of Yahweh
Sarapis on the occasion of the coming of age of his brothers in the
temple of Thoeris.

d. After the meal there would be a drinking party. After dinner the
women normally present were those who entertained or acted as
'companions.' The dinner and partying would decay into a drunken orgy. Ahh...
here's the problem with eating meat in the temple of an idol - not so much
the meat itself, but the circumstances in which the meat was eaten - in
the demonic, immoral atmosphere of revelry, debauchery, and mayhem.
Sex, drug and booze parties may be fun, but your attendance is not pleasing to the Almighty
and may get you killed.

3. Quintilian, a teacher who lived in the time of Paul, expresses
concern about the attendance of young people at these orgies of gluttony
in one of his surviving books. Quintilian writes:

[The young (or perhaps the weak in knowledge)] see our mistresses
and lackeys; every dinner party is loud with dirty songs, and things
are presented to their eyes of which we should blush to speak. The
poor children learn these things before they know them to be wrong.
They become luxurious and effeminate.

4. So The Real Concern of Paul Was:

What were Believers doing in such
places, among such company - among the immoral, the drunkard, the pervert,
the idolater? For "bad company ruins good morals" - not only the
morals of Believers who reveled in such unsavory
events, but also the
younger, weaker believers who were looking to these "strong"
ones for an example.

6. Yes, these libertarian "Believers" who believed
themselves so full of knowledge, so "strong," they thought it
would be all right in the eyes of our Sovereign to go into such profligate
places without incurring his disfavor, since they had all the right
head-knowledge, thinking that the Almighty
's grace was sufficient not only to
cleanse their sin, but also to continually
overlook it.

7. Indeed, Paul cautions such to:

{9} take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow
become a stumbling block to the weak. ... {11} For by your
knowledge those weak believers for whom Messiah
died are destroyed.
{12} But when you thus sin against members of your family ... you
sin against Messiah.

And this warning takes us into an understanding of what this scripture
about eating meat sacrificed to idols might mean for us in the here and
now.

THE APPLICATION TODAY

A. Spiritual or Theological Elitism Condemned

:

Do you
think you've got more of the Almighty
than your neighbor because you know
more? Or because you've been a Methodist longer? Or a member of the
church since 19 six? Or because you've got the Holy Ghost and nobody else
has? Then consider Messiah, who came not for the strong among us, but for
the weak. To act as a spiritual elite is to set a stumbling block against
your family in Messiah
and thus to sin against Messiah
personally.

B. Life Ought To
Reflect Righteous Values

1. Quintilian - "things are presented to their eyes
of which we should blush to speak."

Jer 6:{15} [The Israelites] acted shamefully, they committed
abomination; yet they were not ashamed, they did not know how to
blush. ...

Let us who sin, sin again, repent, and go on.

2. But go on to what?

{16} Thus says Yahweh: Stand at the crossroads,
and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way
lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.

STAND AT THE CROSSROADS AND LOOK -

I met
'Jesus'
at the crossroads,
where the two ways meet.
Satan, he was standing there,
he said now come this way -
Lots and lots of goodies
I will give to you today!
But I said, "No! There's Yahshua
here -
See what he offers me:
A home down here to live in
And one up there in Heaven;
Praise Yah, that's the place for me!"

Are you comfortable in the stench of the pig
sty?

Succinctly, Peter tells us we must take the
devoted road:

He who called you is devoted, be
devoted yourselves in all your
conduct" (1 Pet 1:15)

3. This is not only for our sakes
and good conscience before the Almighty , but also for the sakes of the
young and weak and new among us. We are in the business of witness evangelism through our witness
to Messiah. As one of our Korean Bishops has rightly observed:

"If we don't transform the world, we will be transformed by
the world. Evangelism means transformation."

In what direction are you being transformed? In the direction of the
world and its evil and unseemliness? Or in the direction of the
perfection of our blessed Savior? Stand; seek the old ways, the good
ways; walk in them; be an example of the faith of the Almighty
to others; find
rest.

C. Finally, we learn that The Table of Yahweh
Is Sacred

...

{21} You cannot drink the cup of Yahweh
and the cup of demons. You
cannot partake of the table of Yahweh
and the table of demons.

My friend, you will never get away
with it. Come to the table with clean hands and a clean heart. {Conclude with communion}